Flat conversion drawings in Camden

Few houses, many flats already

Only 13.3 per cent of Camden's households live in a house, and just 29.7 per cent are owner-occupied. The stock is already divided, so a lot of conversion work here is re-planning flats that exist: merging, re-dividing or adding a unit in a lower floor.

That makes the national test relevant in a particular way. Use of a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellings is a material change of use. Gardens are scarce, since 19.1 per cent of the land is domestic garden, so outdoor space for new flats is often a balcony or roof terrace, tested against Min 5 m² private outdoor space for 1-2 person dwellings plus 1 m² per extra occupant, min 1.5 m deep and wide.

Heights matter in old Camden houses. The national test reads Floor to ceiling at least 2.3 m for 75% of GIA; areas under 1.5 m headroom not counted, and the London ask is 2.5 m, so a lower floor or an attic with low ceilings may fail even though the room feels generous.

Timing and decisions

Camden decided 868 minor applications in its latest year and granted 89.4 per cent, the category a small conversion falls into. It decided 80.3 per cent within the time limit, and we plan the programme with that in mind. Householder decisions were on time 77.7 per cent of the time.

If a scheme is refused, appeals can follow: of 76 householder appeals decided, 35.5 per cent were allowed. These figures describe the council and are not a forecast.

The fee is £610 per dwelling created, and the application is built on our planning drawings in Camden.

Working inside a listed or conserved Camden building

In a listed building we begin with the history of the house. We look for original stairs, plaster ceilings, shutters, fireplaces and window patterns, because a conversion that keeps those features and works around them is far more likely to be acceptable than one that removes them. The drawings mark every historic element and show it retained or, where unavoidable, recorded.

Division of a grand terrace house into flats is a recurring Camden pattern, and the stair is usually the problem. A new party floor between flats needs fire and sound separation, and an enclosed stair in a historic hall can damage its character. We look for a layout that uses an existing partition line, so new construction is small and reversible.

Evidence helps. A short heritage note, written in plain terms, explains why each change is needed and why it does least harm. Camden decided 394 householder applications in its latest year and granted 89.1 per cent, so alterations to existing homes are routine here, but listed houses are read more closely.

Keep the lease in view as well. In a building that is already flats, the freeholder may need to consent, and our licence to alter drawings page explains that side of the process.

Sound, levy and next steps

Camden's Mayoral levy is band 1 at £96.97 per square metre, indexed. The small-build exemption is not available for a new home: The under-100 m² CIL exemption does not apply where a new dwelling is created.

Sound transmission is the issue neighbours notice most: Separating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use. Our building regulations drawings in Camden detail the build-ups.

Two flats start at £1,195, VAT included, with free redraws after council comments and no promise of a decision. See architectural drawings in Camden for every service here, or flat conversion drawings in Westminster next door.